Paola, Kansas Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

B+

Overall 14%

Goods & Services 7%

Housing 28%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Paola	Kansas	National
Cost of living	86	88	100
Goods & Services	93	89	100
Groceries	90	91	100
Health care	90	101	100
Housing	72	76	100
Transportation	86	96	100
Utilities	98	102	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Paola is 2% lower than the Kansas average
The cost of living in Paola is 14% lower than the national average
Paola housing is 28% lower than the national average
Kansas general sales tax is 28% higher than the national average
Kansas state income tax is 26% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$73,103	$6,092	$1,706	$2,193
Renters	$17,057	$1,421	$398	$512

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Paola, KS, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Paola have a median income of $73,103. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,706 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $17,057, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $398.

Kansas Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Kansas	6.5%	11.5%

Kansas Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Kansas	3.1%	5.7%

Goods & Services

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.73	$20.27	7.6%
Beauty Salon	$32.79	$40.39	18.8%
Toothpaste	$1.70	$2.36	27.8%
Shampoo	$1.02	$1.08	5.5%
Movie	$10.95	$10.99	0.3%
Bowling	$15.40	$15.49	0.6%

Groceries

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.86	$4.30	10.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.56	$1.40	11.7%
Milk	$2.26	$2.20	2.6%
Potatoes	$2.56	$3.22	20.5%
Pizza	$10.29	$10.74	4.2%
Beer	$8.97	$9.60	6.6%

Health Care

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$89.00	$109.73	18.9%
Doctor	$87.49	$118.34	26.1%
Dentist	$97.13	$100.94	3.8%
Ibuprofen	$9.26	$9.93	6.7%
Lipitor	$475.56	$469.53	1.3%

Housing

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$117,900.00	$184,700.00	36.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,151.15	$1,229.62	6.4%
Apartment Rent	$851.00	$949.00	10.3%

Transportation

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.38	$2.71	12.2%
Tire Balancing	$43.20	$51.86	16.7%

Utilities

Item	Paola	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$159.70	$170.84	6.5%
Phone	$193.33	$187.18	3.3%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Merwin, MO	27	68	32.0%
Greeley, KS	290	74	26.4%
Lane, KS	290	74	25.9%
Rantoul, KS	129	74	25.5%
Bucyrus, KS	276	79	20.7%
Paola, KS	5,583	86	14.3%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Eucalyptus Hills, CA	5,583	147	46.7%
Rolesville, NC	5,583	102	2.0%
Lecanto, FL	5,582	94	6.1%
Okeechobee, FL	5,582	88	11.5%
Willow Oak, FL	5,580	87	13.3%
Paola, KS	5,583	86	14.3%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.